Orbital rim implants are usually made of silicone, which is a soft, rubber-like material.
The implants are designed to fit directly onto orbital rim and are usually preshaped. Custom made implants can be obtained, if wished or considered necessary, although a CT scan of the bony structures is required before these can be constructed.
The implant is inserted through a small incision, then placed over the bone mass under the eyelid and secured with 1-2 small titanium screws to prevent any movement of the implant following placement.
■■■Indications of orbital rim implant
Orbital rim implants can be placed for a number of reasons:
■For people with tear trough deformity
■Reversion of negative orbital vector
■For people who have had underdevelopment of the mid part of the face and an overall flatter appearance to the face.
■For facial rejuvenation; commonly as we get older the tissues of the mid face tend to descend which looses the youthful appearance that we had. A small cheek implant can help restore the fullness of the cheekbones.
■For patients who have sustained previous fractures of the eye socket. In these cases if the eye socket bone has not been corrected or even occasionally due to soft tissue changes that can occur following trauma, the orbital rim can appear flat and implants can help to correct the residual facial asymmetry and flattening.
■For patients with congenital asymmetry of the infra-orbital region.